PREVALENCE OF ANTHROPOMETRIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AMONG BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

  • Silviya Mladenova University of Plovdiv "Paisii Hilendarski", Branch Smolyan

Abstract


The aim of this paper is to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their conection with health risk anthropometrical factors on Bulgarian university students, the main in the South Bulgaria. The sample population of the study included total  386 young people, of which 303 females and 83 males, between 18-30 years of age i.e. the mean age is 21.3-21.4 years. They were from different regions of  Bulgaria, mainly  from  Southern  Bulgaria.  The study was  conducted  transversally  in the period between 2015 and 2017.  For each person  the  weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured.  On this base the body mass index and waist to height ratio were calculated by formulas.  Underweight eas defined as BMI< 18.5, overweight as BMI 25-29.9 and obesity as BMI ≥ 30 kg/ m2.  Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was  used for evaluation of central /abdominal obesity, that  was defined as WHtR ≥ 0.5. The prehypertension was  defined when SBP >120 <139 and/or DBP ≥ 80 <89 mmHg and hypertension when  SBP ≥ 140 and/or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg. The statistical processing of the data was done using software package STATISTICA 10.0 and SPSS 20.0 by means of descriptive statistics and  multiple regression analysis.  The results show that the underweight occurs among 1.2% of the men and among 15.2% of the women, the overweight occurs  among 32.5% of men and 13.9% of women and   obesity was found among 10.8% of the men and 8.6% of the women. Central obesity occur among 32% of  males  and  17% of  females,  independently of their nutritional  status.  The  prehypertension  occurs among  46% of the men and  28% of the women. The  hypertension founds  among  18% of the men and  among 2% of the women. Among  prehypertensive male students  the overweight occurs among 35.7%, and obesity among 10.7% of participants, while among  hypertensive male the overweight and obesity occurs in 18.2%  and 36.4%, respectively. In group of  prehypertensive females 22.4% are overweight and 14.9% are obese. Hypertension occurs among  20% of overweight and 40% of obese female students. In group of central obese male   the prehypertension and hypertension occurs among 55% and 20%, respectively. Among central obese females 47.5%  are  prehypertensive and 7.5% are hypertensive. The results also show that the waist circumference has a serious potential to affect  the  blood pressure  level  at  an early adulthood in both sexes. Conclusion: The higher prevalence of elevated blood pressure, overweight and central and abdominal obesity   among Bulgarian university  students  maybe connect with factors such as a sex, hormonal status, hereditary burden and  sexual differences in some lifestyle habits as a nutrition, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, individual physiological and biochemical status, psychological stress during student life and other. The prevalence of this risk factors among young Bulgarian adults needs urgent attention and further evaluation because of the grave consequences of obesity and hypertension and because the hypertension and overweight  is an important amendable risk factor in young life.

Author Biography

Silviya Mladenova, University of Plovdiv "Paisii Hilendarski", Branch Smolyan
Natural-Mathematical Science

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Published
2019/03/23
Section
Original Scientific Paper